Public Affairs

All week August 3-7 on Northland Morning KUMD shares a special series from our Ampers partner KOJB in Leech Lake called "Living the Ojibwe Way of Life" with host Darryl Northbird. Monday he talks about honoring, what it means and what it means to him. This is a personal and introspective series that can open your heart and your mind to learning more about Ojibwe way of life.

If you've ever slid down one of Duluth's famous hills, either on purpose or in your car, chances are when you heard that the Slide The City thousand-foot waterslide was coming to a street near you, you thought "This is GENIUS." And that was before the "air conditioning" in the Air-Conditioned City quit. Then, suddenly, it was cancelled. What happened?

Dotty is a black and white domestic medium hair who is 14 years old. She came to us from a previous home and is now looking for her new loving family! This sweet, senior girl would love to find a quiet retirement home where she can spend her golden years. She has been spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated.

Thousands of women are locked up in U.S. prisons and one Minnesota Group is working to get books in the hands of the incarcerated. The Women's Prison Book Project based in Minneapolis's the Seward neighborhood, organizes donations to prisoners nationwide. Dixie Treichel from KAXE reports.

Seatbelts, more responsible behaviour and a decline in drug abuse boosted Minnesota to #1 in the latest Kids Count report* ... and the state achieved that ranking even though the child poverty rate increased to 14%. Trouble is, the child poverty rate nationally has increased even more dramatically. So although there is something to celebrate with this latest report, it doesn't tell the whole story.

From our Ampers partners, we share a 2-part special report from MN Native News called "Rocking the Boat" Part 1 & 2. Reporter Melissa Townsend brings us the story of racial disparities for Native communities like in one Northern Minnesota town, Bemidji.

Public conversations about the idea of privilege are hard, and ironically, much of that is because of our proud heritage of "Minnesota Nice." But they're important, because those with privilege and those without need to come together in a safe place, ask questions, and learn from one another.

Manny is a black short hair cat who is 3 months old. He came to us from a different shelter and is now looking for his new loving home! He is a fun loving little kitten looking for a loving family. He has been neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated.

KUMD is deeply saddened by the loss of Edgewood Smith a.k.a. DJ-E, a longtime host of "The Local." We offer our condolences to his friends and family. We shared our tribute to DJ-E on The Local, July, 22, with guests from the KUMD team, family requests and some of Edgewood's favorite tracks honoring his contribution to the Duluth music community.

One of the best ways to know if you want to do a particular thing with your life is to do the thing, full time, for a while. That's why seven UMD students took a pass on going home, summer jobs or the beach and opted instead for the BURST: Biology Undergraduate Research in Science and Technology program, a 40-plus-hour-a-week-for-10-week program that lets them focus on their chosen topic and their research for that time.

Enbridge Energy's proposed Sandpiper oil pipeline is drawing the ire of yet another group - this time, the National Congress of American Indians is weighing in, and they want the EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers to address not just the environmental impact of the project, but what they see as threats to tribal sovereignty, religious freedoms, and federally protected resources of the region's indigenous peoples.

Every day, we're losing more and more members of the "Greatest Generation," but the Oral History Program, the Veteran's Memorial Hall and the St. Louis County Historical Society aim to record as many of their thoughts and memories as they can - and they're training volunteers to do those interviews.

Sapphira is a tan and white Pitbull mix who is 3 years old. She came to us as a transfer from a different shelter and is now looking for her new loving family! Sapphira is a big girl with a lot of energy, so she needs a home that will spend time with her and give her the attention she deserves. She would do best as a single dog in her new home. She has been spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated.